Greg Craven accuses Anthony Albanese of never truly wanting bipartisan support for the Indigenous voice
Leading constitutional law expert and voice supporter Greg Craven says the Indigenous referendum was defeated because of ‘an uncompromising, suicidally confident campaign strategy’.
Constitutional law expert and voice supporter Greg Craven says the referendum was defeated because of “an uncompromising, suicidally confident campaign strategy” spearheaded by Indigenous leaders including Noel Pearson and Megan Davis, and has accused Anthony Albanese of never truly wanting bipartisanship on the issue.
In a scathing attack on the Prime Minister and key figures in the Yes camp, Professor Craven said the campaign for the voice had been “pig-headed, condescending and self-righteous”.
The comments follow Indigenous leader Mick Gooda criticism of the refusal by the government and Yes campaigners to provide more detail or amend the proposal after it failed to win bipartisan support, saying in a speech on Friday that they pursued a “crash or crash through” approach.
Professor Craven called Mr Gooda’s speech a “turning point” in the discussion over the failed referendum, and went a step further by arguing the Prime Minister “never wanted the Opposition Leader’s imprimatur”.
“Cynically, he wanted (Peter) Dutton wedged and himself a Labor hero,” the former Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor writes in The Weekend Australian.
“Sadly, this impression has become only stronger in the wake of the referendum. Albanese accepts no responsibility for failure. There is no sign of his government producing profound, practical initiatives to close the gap. But there is a nice cartoon about the referendum in the prime ministerial office.”
The cartoon Professor Craven referred to is titled The Voice, by David Rowe, and depicts Mr Albanese pushing open a vault to reveal the sun at the heart of the Aboriginal flag.
Mr Albanese insisted throughout 2023 that he had sought to bring Mr Dutton to the table to support the voice, while urging the opposition to join him in “having an open mind, but importantly an open heart”.
A number of voice supporters have raised concerns about the Yes strategy, with Marcia Langton arguing this week the voice should first have been legislated rather than enshrined in the Constitution.
The Coalition is expected to seize on the criticisms of the Yes campaign by putting forward a motion stating the voice was divisive and that the government has failed to produce a plan B. WA Liberal MP Melissa Price will move for the lower house to acknowledge Labor had spent $450m on a “divisive voice referendum” rejected by every jurisdiction but the ACT, while calling again for an audit of commonwealth spending for Indigenous programs. The motion also calls for the reinstatement of the cashless debit card in vulnerable communities.
The Labor MP for Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour, said the government could have done more to progress the voice.
“Should we have done better? Absolutely,” she told the ABC.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney would not be drawn on the comments of Mr Gooda and others criticising Labor’s strategy for the voice.
“Everyone has a right to express their views,” she said. “The referendum proposal was a request from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across the country after years of consultation. We honoured and respected that request.”
Professor Craven said Mr Gooda’s analysis of why the voice failed challenged the popular justification by Indigenous activists.
“They argue white Australia is racist, ill-educated and just plain stupid,” he said. “Indigenous leaders need to face reality. They had control of the voice referendum. They brooked no change or adjustment. The referendum lost at a canter. There is no hiding place for them from this result.”
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